Petehs



kv(Hummm.) I l F. R.` WILLIAMS.

` APPLE' FARBE.

"Ng 381,044.V Y Patented Apr.1o 1888. r

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.) A Y Q F. R. WIILILIAVIS-l APPLE PARER.,

f Patented Apr. l0, 1.888.

WITNESSES IM-MUR f I.; :N y l lial'JM n Fmns, www pour. www n c.

STATES APPL'E-PARER,`

SPECIFICATION forming part @Insurers Patent No. 381.044, dated aprirlo, laas.

Application llefl April '24, 1885: Serial No. 163,283; (No model.) i

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Ber it known thaty I, FRANK It. -WILLIA'Ms of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, haveinvented Acertain new and useful Improvements in Apple- Parersg and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ,of the same, reference ybeinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification,'and to the figures and lettersgof reference marked thereon.

' My invention relates -to improvementsv in apple-parer@ and particularly to that class wherein the `fruit to be operated upon is rotated by suitable mechanism, and the paring, coring, and slicing are performed by suitable mechanismreciprocating longitudinally of the axis of rotation ofthe fruit; and it has for its f .it to be evaporated77 or dried in an object to improve the construction of machines of this class, whereby the various operations may be performed in a more expeditious and superior mannerthan heretofore, and whereby, also, the voperations of paring 4and slicing, or paring only, may be accomplished by simple mechanism and convenient movements of the operator. l I

The invention consists, generally, in certain well-known devices whereby the machine can be runat a greater speed than ordinarily, and at the same time will provide for removing all of the skin of the fruit, and, if desired, at the same time cut it into suitable form to adapt expeditious manner. i

It further consists in an improved arrange# ment of paring devices whereby the variations in shape and size of 'different fruits operated upon (within, of course, ycertain limits) maybe very great, and yet the mechanism will pare and slice such fruit in the same manner that ordi- .nary machines will fruit of normal size, or of asize'which they are especiallyadapted to operate upon. f

' It further consists in devices for operating and in certain novelties of construction and 'i combinations of parts, all of which I Willnowr proceed to describe, and point out particularly in the claims at the end of this specification. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is y a front elevation of an apple-parer constructed in accordance withniy invention;l Fig. 2,` an Y end viewV of the sar'ne, look-ing from the right;

Fig. 3, a similarview looking from the A-leftf Fig.. 4, a transverse vertical sectional view y' taken on the line :v xof Fig.- 1, looking toward the righ-t; Fig. 5, a longitudinal vertical sectional View on the line y y of Fig. 2; Fig; ,6,1 a:

vertical sectional view taken throughl the par-k ing-knife frame, and showing inj dotted lines. the position said knife and frame assume wheny operating upon a fruit at'its greatest diameter.

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the gear operating the knife and' its yco-operating rack, showing the position of the frame just beforevtheknife engages they fruit, in dotted linesfthe positionit assumes during theparing operation,an`d in full linesk to the right yitsl p-ositio'nfwhenI the' vparing is finished; Fig.` 8,.,a top plan' view of the fruit-holding forkl and the paring-knifein- 'those positions corresponding to Vthoseoccupied by the gear in Fig; 7; Fig. 9, a front vieilr i ofthe paring-knife; Fig. 10, a viewof a def 7,5

vSimilar letters of reference inthe'several f' tail, and Fig. 1l a view of a modified device for driving the knifesupporting carriage.

lfigures indicate the same parts.

' v Referring tothe accompanying drawings,and I more particularly Fig.v vl thereof,the operating parts or mechanisms are mounted upon amain i frame consisting, essentially, vof end pieces,-A" A', preferably of metal andksnitably connect? ing pieces or braces Bv and C. A `suitable bracket or brace, H, isalso provided,ex`tendv ing across between the' two end pieces, to

which is secured a short metal stud-axle, VS, 'i

uponfwhich the operating-gear O is mounted,

as Vwill be presently described, and ina beaI-, L

ing, h', in this brace Ha horizontal.,v shaft,

R', lis supported, by means of which motion is f communicated from thev main driving-shaft tol thegearO. ,Y

D represents a shaft supported in suitable bearings in the side pieces ofthe mainframe, and prevented from longitudinal movementv therein by means `lof collarsfXX,f securedy in y either side of the piece A, as shown, and upon its outervendpis secured the fork d,upon"which l f the apple or other fruit is'impaledr4 Uponthe right-hand end 'of theshaft` is secured, inany suitable,l manner, ak large disk l orV drum, N,

provided on its inner surface with a covering V-y of'leather or other suitable materialto pro; f

Ico

duce or increase the friction, and upon the portion D* of the shaft D, extending beyond the frarneA,is mountedapulleyordrun1,I, adapted to receive motion from a belt or other suitable operating device. This pulley is adapted to revolve loosely upon the shaft, and is also capable of a limited longitudinal movement there on. Its hub is extended, forming an elongated sleeve or bearing upon the shaft, and its inner end is provided with gear-teeth h, forming a pinion, as shown. Between the pinion and the main web of the pulley is a collar, i, formed upon or secured thereon, forming,with the end of the pinion, a groove, in which is placed a fork,j, of a lever, K, serving to move the pulley and sleeve longitudinally upon the shaft when desired.

I represents an idle or loose pulley mounted upon the sleeve on I, confined between the web of I and the collar i, on which the belt is slipped when it is desired to bring the machine to a standstill. l

It will be noted that when the pulley and sleeve are moved toward the rightby suitable mechanism the face of pulley I will be pressed against the disk N and its motion communicated to the latter.

The shaftD is hollow for a portion of its length, and inside of it is located the rod u, capable of longitudinal movement and adapted to be operated outward, so as to project between the prongs of the fork d and operate as a doiler to eject the core or fruit from thelatter. As a means for operating this doer, I provide a sleeve or collar, U, upon the shaft, withapin,u,projecting through a slot therein, engaging the rod and adapted to be moved by a lever, U, operated from some suitable portion of the machine, (preferably the gear 0,) to slide the rod outward and eject the core at the proper time. y

Upon the frame H, between the ends A A', is provided a short sind, S, upon which is mounted the gear O, the latter receiving motion from the main driving-pulley through the pinion mounted on the shaft E, the outel` end of which is provided with a gear, R, re-

`Mceiving motion from the pulley I through the pinion h, located on theinner end of the sleeve thereof. v

Upon the face ofthe gear O is a Canrtrack, L for operating upon a lever, K, (through a suitable lug or friction-roller, 0, thereon,) to cause the operations of the clutch I N and the application of the brake K to the drum N when the pulley and drum are disengaged. The end of this lever is bifurcated, it will be notedyand one portion carries t-he fork j, operating to move the pulley I longitudinally of the shaft and effect the clutching and unclutching, and the other carries the brake K', operating upon the drum, as described, when the pulley is shifted out of engagement therewith, as will readily be understood.

E represents a rod or guide supported by u the endpieces of the frame and serving as a way upon which the paring and slicing appavice for operating upon the fruit,and the other, Y

G, the device upon which the mechanism for reciprocating it operates, the connection between them being formed by a brace or bar, E;

as shown, although it will be readily understood that the two parts could, if desired, be

located nearer together or made in one piece, and the connectingbar thus dispensed with.

In paring-machines operating upon fruit by holding a knife in contact with them during their rotation it is desirable, when the operation of paring is completed., to return the apparatus to starting position again without moving it in proximity to the fruit-fork, so that the operator may be placing 'a fruit in position during this time, and therefore with this in view I locate the guide for the cutting apparatus above and to one side of the revolving fork, so that it may swing away by gravity, preferably,fro1n proximity with the latter and be returned to its starting position.

The frames are sleeved upon the rod E and are free to swing and slide thereon. Upon the lower side of frame G is secured a rack, Q, with which a mutilated gear, P, on the main gear O engages to move the frame toward the right when it isswung over and held in engagement with it. The lower side ofthe upper portion of the frame G is provided with a vertical slot, g, the flanges g' at the sides of which are preferably curved outward from the supporting-guide E, as shown. The gear P is provided upon its rear side with an arm or bracket, V, having at its outer end a lug or frictionroller, T, secured by a pin, t, and adapted to co-operate with the slot g in the frame in a manner to be described.

Secured to one of the ends of the main frame is a projecting portion or bracket, F, having an upwardly-projecting flange, v, and above this a bar, w, having gear-teeth on its rear side, as shown, .with which the pinion carrying the paring-blade engages, as will be farther on described. The frame J is provided near its outer end with a small lug or gib, n, which is adapted, when the frame is' swung inward or toward the front of the machine, to .engage the flange @and hold the frame in this position during the right movement, or at least a portion thereof, so that the knife may operate upon the fruit during this time.

I have anticipated this description of aportion of the forward frame in order to more .clearly describe the operation of the devices for causing the necessary movements of the parts.

The gear l? and the arm V and the slot g and rack Q are so situated relative to each other and the paring-blade that the gear will tirst engage the rack to move it toward the right-hand end of the machine, and as soon as it leaves it the arm will engage the left-hand sion, thus rendering it self-compensating and making the pressure it exerts upon the fruit more nearly constant at all times, all this being fully illustrated in Fig. 6. The paringknife consists of an angular casting, a, having the perforations ax a'z through its ends,lthe former through which the main supportingrodfpasses and providing for its attachment thereto, and the latter for the passage of the paring or skin of the fruit. At one side of the perforation a2 is secured the paring knife or blade b by means of a suitable screw, b', and adapted to be adjusted up and down so as to project more or less from the casting, as desired; or, if desirable, it will be understood that the knife could be secured on the inner side of the casting with its edge projecting through the slot.

In order that the paring-blade may act upon the fruit at all points and conform to the irregularities in its surface, it is desirable that its carrying-casting should project it at some distance-say from five to seven eighths of an inch-in advance of the'supportingshaft, and should not be rigidly attached to its support, but should be allowed certain limited movements, and in order to accomplish this I form the perforation ax, through which the rod f passes, a trifle larger than the rod, so as to permit its turning freely thereon, but confine its motions somewhat by means of a loop-casting, c, secured to the rod in any suitable manner, preferably capable of adjustment, and adapted to be secured in adj usted position by a device, for instance, such as a clamping-nut, c', as shown. The upper end of the casting a is embraced by this casting c, as shown, and its rear end being broad its rotary motions are confined by the edges of casting c, as shown clearly in Fig. 8, and the object of allowing these motions is that theknife may more readily conform to the l irregularities in the fruit. When starting the operation of paring, for instance, it is desirable to remove the skin from the end of the fruit, and this the knife is capable of doing, as shown to the left in Fig. 8, and when the blade is passing along the side of the fruit the supporting-casting may take either of the positions shown in the central portion of the figure or any intermediate thereof, and when the mechanism has turned the casting to the positionV shown at the extreme right the blade will enter the depression at this end of the fruit and remove the skin from this portion also.

To return for a moment to the operation of the shifting-lever K and its cooperating parts before describing the operation of the machine, I would mention the factthat the camgroove in the gear O, that operates the lever K, is so positioned that the inner end -of the lever is moved upward about the time the paring-knife has ceased its operations upon the fruit and is to be returned to the front of the machine again, thereby causing the wheel I and disk N to be disengaged and the brake to be applied to the latter, stopping the operation of the shaft D; but by reason of the broadening of the teeth on the pinion h the balance of the mechanism is still kept in operation,and as soon as the frame and paring-knife are brought over to engage the fruit upon the fork the lever is again operated bythe groove and the pulley thrown into engagement with the shaft, causing it and the fruit thereon to be revolved. The object of stopping theoperation is, taken in connection with the moving of the paring-knife frame, veryfadvantageous, in that the operator may place the fruit in position on the fork Withoutdanger of having it twisted out of his hand, andalso without having the cutting-blade come in contact therewith.

From the above general description the operation of the device will be readily understood.

As before stated, the pulley I is revolved by suitable mechanism, preferably a belt, as shown, which latter is adapted, when desired, to be shifted by means of the belt-shifter M M' and k k to the loose pulley I. Assuming the position of the machine to be that shown in Fig. 1, with the end of lever K just passing into the inner portion of the groove in O, operating the clutch, this throws the shaft D in gear, and supposing the fruit placed thereon, the frame G .I will be drawn toward the right by the gear-rack, as described, and the end of the paring-blade, being drawn toward the fruit by the spring s, will come in contact with it and begin to remove the skin by the fruit revolving against it. This will tend to retard the movement of the knife, but the gear is at all times drawing it forward, and the tendency of the knife will be to move around the fruit, turning the shaft on which it is mounted; but for ordinarysized fruit the gear r (even if of ordinary dimensions) would by this time' engage the rack on the bar w and cause the beginning of the rotation of the gear and the connected paring-blade in a line coinciding with the surface of the fruit, the spring s serving Vto hold the paring-blade in contact all the time;

but, supposing the fruit should be of abnormal size or` shape, the first tendency on the part of the knife in meeting the fruit would be to move back against the spring s, and then as the curve of the fruit was followed rotate the gear, so that when the gear reached the rack the second or third tooth might be presented to it, thus causing a complete rotation of the knife before it reaches the end of the fruit, causing an imperfect paring operation; but all this is obviated by providing the lengthened tooth and giving the peculiar shape to the second tooth shown, whereby, even though the gear should be pushed backward or rotate a trifle, the long tooth would strike the end of the rack and compel the proper engagement of teeth, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 6. All the time that the frame is moving toward the right the gear is rotating, carrying with it the knife engaged in removing the skin of the fruit, the limited m0- IOO ` and further motion'will drawit backward withv tion allowed the blade-casting aallowing it to conform to all the irregularities in the fruit, as indicated in Fig. 8. When the gear r has made about ahalirevolution against the ten- `slon of spring p, it will assume the position shown at the extreme rightinFig. 7'with theY flat side againstV the plain portion of the bar w,

out turning, the knifebladecasting also movlngback, as in Fig. 8. During the time that this operation has been taking place the gearV O has'made about'twothirds of a revolutionr and the'teeth/'of gear P are abontleaving the rack Q. The giba then reaches the end of the ange o and the frame Grv swings back to the position shown'in dotted linesin Fig. 4. At

l this juncture the lever K is operatedl by the cam-groove, the clutch is released, and the brake applied to the shaft D, causing'itrto stop rotating.v The earn Y, also located in'gear O, engages the end o f lever Y and moves the collar U outward, ejecting theapple from the end of theiork', or the 'core of the same, if a coring device is applied, as willjbe explained. The arm V now operates to return the frames G and .I to the left again in the manner Kdescribed before, and then to swing theframe.

forward again to engage the flange o and go through another similar operation, the operator havlng in the ymeantime during thecessation of the motion of the shaft D impaled 'an-'l other fruit uponthe fork. I have shown mounted upon the end of the frame J what is known as a ,1ipslicer,77 m,

adapted to be held in contact with the'fruit during the operation of paring and serving to eut the same into a singlethin slice, (a very rconvenient Vform `for evaporating,) the tongue f or llip on the end serving to cnt the body of the fruit fronith'e core, as willj be readily understood. If desired, any approved form of coring'device might beseeured to the frame'.

lin the same manner.

Instead of requiring the frames G and-J to swing backward away from the fruitfshaft D, I maydispense with theiianges gxat the side '4 `of the slot g, and modify the construction of the arm so as to perform only theret'urn reclprocation movement, bringing the frame to starting position at the left,-and may extend the flange c, with which the gib n engages, so-

that itshallremain lin engagement'with it all the time and` prevent any.w backward move'- ment; or I may lengthen the flange n at ,the

right end and k'permit the frame to drop back only at the left end, so as'to permit'of the application of a fruit tothe fork or for any other purpose. A

Various modifications of the ylmeans for operating the carriage or frames G, and J back and forth might be devised-such, for instance, Y

' as shown'in Fig; `l1, in which a roller, F?, on

the endvofapivoted lever, Z, engages/with a slot, gx, in the frarneG, the arm T, attachedY Yto thegear I, and having'the rollert engaging with a hanged recess, g, in the side of4 the 1ever, beingadapted to return the framestoviirst 'PSitiMtA as will be. understood, thel gearP operating to move them ,to first position or during the paringoperation; KA or,in`steadfof 7o t' whole'of the devices for applying power might t be dispensed with andthe device operatedby l"8vo beernployed in theirrstead. Forinstance, the v hand, and stopped andstarted,'when desired, f

without resorting to clitch devieesjfor this" purpose. f

. Having thus describedmy inventionndhat claim as new isl 1. lIn an .-appleparingmachine, therlcombi-v.

- nation,with the main frame and a rotaryfshaft forthe'fruit, of areeiprocating carriage carrying theparing-blade, having araek .thereon y. s

vand a gear .co-operating with said rack to ycause lthe'inovement of the carriage in a direction to n j and perform the paringoperation, andan arm f .f

co-operate withthe shaft ca rryingxthe,fruitA securedv tosaid gearco-operating with the carlriage for causing ,its return movement, sub,- stantially as described. i .j v

2. In an apple-paring machine,tl1`e..combi' nation,with thema'in frame and arotwaryfshaft for thefruit,.of a reciprocating carriage carry-I ing theparing devices located thereon, having a rack, a gear co-operating with said rack to cause the ,movement vvof the paring devicesin a` direction to co-operate with the'shaft'carrying f the fruit, and an arm mounted on the gear, of l l greater radius than the teeth@cpo-,operating-Y with the'rack for operating againstth'e `carriage toreturn it .to first positionat. greater speed than its rkfirst movement caused by lthe rack, Isubstantially as described.;

IIO`

3.3 In an appleparer,.the.combination,v withA the main frame andthe rotaryshaft vto 'which the fruit is secured, ofareciprocating carriage,

directions, a rotary paring-blademounted r r 5l devices for reciprocating it positivelyv in both thereon,and devices uponnthemain frame with i I which the rotary paring-.bladey cofoperates to. cause a rotation of itnwhen thelcarriage.. 1s' -1 moved in-one direction, and means, substantially asdescribed, for movingthe bladeand its operating devicesl out of engagementwlien the carriage is moved rin "the ,opposite'hdi'recf tion, substantiallyas described.

v 4.5.'Ihe combination, with kthelmair'ifratrie v n andthe rotatingfshaft, of the reciprocating car,-

riage 'and means for reciprocating it positively ,7.

inv both directions, a; rotary paring'blade mountedthereon, a gear withwhichlitisconnected, a rack located on the mainframe for rotating the gear., and blade ,during theijeeip-` c rocation in one direction, means for'f-causing the disengagementofl the gear andraekfftnh n a device (such as a spring) for returning the rotary blade to its first or starting position, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the main frame, the reciprocating carriage having means for operating upon the fruit mounted thereon, a rotating pulley, and a wheel connected therewith operating upon the carriage to positively reciprocate it in both directions and having a cam thereon, of the fruit-shaft and a clutch and brake operated by the cam on the wheel for placing said pulley and fruit-shaft in engagement during the reciprocation of the carriage in one direction and disconnecting them `and applying the brake to the fruit-shaft during the reciprocation of the carriage in the other direction, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the main frame, the shaft carrying the fruit, the reciprocating and swinging carriage having devices mounted thereon for operating upon the fruit, a rotating' pul1ey,and awheel connected therewith operating upon the carriage to positively reciprocate it in both directions and to swing it toward and away from the fruit-shaft and having a cam thereon, of a clutch operated by said cam and operating to connect the fruitfshaft and rotating pulley when the carriage is moved in one direction and to disconnect them when the carriage is swung away from the shaft and moving in the opposite direction, as set forth.

7. The combination, with the main frame, of the rotating shaft, the reciprocating and swinging carriage having an abutment or shoulder, the mutilated gear, the rack on r the carriage, the arm on the gear having the projection cooperating with the abutment on the carriage, and the gib and flange for holding the carriage and main frame together when the former is swung into engagement, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the main frame, the rotating shaft,the reciprocating and swinging carriage pivoted above and to one side of the shaft 4and carrying the paring-blade, the abutment on said carriage, and the extended curved flange, of the gear so connected with the carriage as to move it in one direction,and having the arm carrying the projection co-operating with the abutment and flange and operatingto move said carriage in the opposite direction and swing it in toward the rotating shaft, and means for holding the carriage when swung in such position, substantially as described. e e

9. In a paringmachine, the combination, with the shaft on which the fruit is secured, a reciprocating carriage and means for reci procating it, and a rack on the main frame, of a gear mounted on the carriage, having the extended tooth and the paring-blade mounted on said gear, substantially as described.

10. In a paring-machine, the combination,

with the shaft carrying the fruit, the recipro eating carriage, means for reciprocating it, and a rack on the frame, of a gear on the carriage having the extended tooth and adapted to be rotated by the rack, the paring-blade pivoted upon the gear, and the spring for movingsaid blade toward the axis of the gear, substantially as described.

11. In a paring-machine, the combination, with the shaft carrying the fruit, of the reciprocating carriage and means for reciprocating it, the gear on the carriage or plate carrying the paring-blade and means for rotating it during the reciprocation of the carriage, the rod pivoted to the plate and a spring for moving it toward the center, and the paring-blade secured to-said rod and permitted a limited rotary motion thereon, substantial] y as described.

12. The combination, with the rotary gear or plate, the rod pivoted thereto, and the spring for moving it toward the center thereof, of the casting carrying the paring-blade secured to and projecting in advance of said rod and permitting a limited rotary motion thereon, substantially as described.

13. The combination, with the rotary gear or plate, the rod pivoted thereto, and the spring ,for moving it toward the center thereof, of

the casting carrying the paring blade through which the rod passes loosely and projecting the knife in advance of said rod, and the loop-casting secured rigidly to the rod inclosing the end of the blade-casting and limiting its movements, substantially as described.

14. In a paring-machine, the combination, with the main frame and a rotary shaft for the fruit, of a reciprocating carriage carrying devices for operating-upon the fruit during the reciprocation and having a rack thereon, a gear on the main frame co-operating with said rack to cause the movement of the carriage in one direction, and anV arm secured to said gear co-operating with the carriage for causing its return movement, substantially as described.

15. In a paring-machine, the combination, with the main frame and the 'rotating shaft for the fruit, of the reciprocating and swinging carriage carrying devices for operating upon the fruit during theV reciprocation and having a rack and a ange thereon, a gear on the frame co-operating with saidrack to cause the movement of the carriage in 'one direction and having the arm `carrying a projection adapted to move the carriage in the opposite direction by cooperating with a projection on the carriage and to swing the same toward the rotating shaft by co-operating with the flange, substantially as described.

' FRANK R. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

F. H. CAPRON, E. Q. WILLIAMS.

IIO 

